Great Wall Motor is refusing to give up on its most controversial electric vehicle. The Ora Ballet Cat, a retro-styled hatchback that looks suspiciously like a vintage Volkswagen Beetle, is getting a serious powertrain upgrade for the new model year.
The quirky EV originally launched in 2022 as a lifestyle car aimed strictly at female drivers. Now, regulatory filings from China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology reveal Great Wall is swapping out the original hardware for a significantly beefier setup.
What We Know
- Power Boost: The new electric motor jumps from 169 horsepower to 201 hp.
- Speed Increase: Top speed climbs from 96 mph to a newly capped 112 mph.
- Battery Tech: A new lithium-iron phosphate (LFP) battery pack supplied by SVOLT powers the system.
- Price: The base model remains priced around ¥193,000 (roughly $28,000).
The bump in performance comes as a surprise. The Ballet Cat has been a certified market failure since it arrived, selling just 8,523 units over the past four years. Most automakers kill off models with numbers that low. Great Wall is doubling down.
The new documents show the company is retaining every single eccentric interior feature that made the car go viral in the first place. That includes the oversized LED vanity mirrors, the dedicated selfie camera that uploads directly to social media, and the infamous “Warm Man Mode” designed to rapidly heat the cabin, as detailed in recent homologation filings.
While the exterior styling remains completely identical to the outgoing version, the updated model might ditch the feline naming convention entirely. GWM is reportedly considering a rebrand to the “Ora 6” to bring it in line with its newer fleet models, the Ora 5 and Ora 7 sedans.
Why GWM is Keeping the Ballet Cat on Life Support
The decision to upgrade a failing car rather than axe it points to a broader strategy within China’s hyper-competitive EV market. Great Wall isn’t just trying to sell cars. It is fighting to maintain brand presence in every possible niche. The original Volkswagen Beetle hasn’t been sold in the US since the Final Edition in 2019, leaving a distinct gap for retro-styled compacts.
By pushing the Ballet Cat’s performance past the 200-horsepower mark and potentially renaming it the Ora 6, GWM wants to pivot the vehicle away from its gimmicky origins. The strategy repositions the hatchback as a legitimate rival to premium compacts from BYD and Geely, rather than just an internet meme.